Plans for national rail network splintered

American transportation policy is hardly coherent anymore, with projects and policies taking off in different directions.

Ever since the Obama Administration announced billions of dollars to upgrade or build a new passenger rail network, it created glee in some parts of the country and resistance in other parts.

Some projects appear to be going it alone, while others are begging for more help.

Who is leading the charge for a national network, or is it an everybody-for-themselves kind of effort? It really is comical to see the sudden flurry of funds being made available ending up as parochial projects, with no vision of a network coming together.

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